The present invention relates to a system and method for ordering various types of articles for automatic delivery to compartments for designated seats conveniently accessible to the occupants of the respective seats. The invention is capable of being used in many diverse applications, including: low-volume applications, such as delivering articles to occupants of seats in an aircraft cabin, a bus, or a railroad car; medium-volume applications, such as delivering articles to occupants of seats in an auditorium or concert hall; and large-volume applications, such as delivering articles to occupants of a multi-level sports stadium.
The invention is particularly useful for delivering articles of food, and is therefore described below with respect to such application, but it will be appreciated that the articles to be ordered and delivered could be other type of articles, such as souvenirs, articles commemorating special events, and the like.
Many different types of articles ordering and delivering systems are known. For example, in low-volume systems, such as in aircraft cabins or railroad diner cars, orders are generally solicited by attendants who personally take each and directly deliver the ordered articles to the respective individual. In auditoriums or concert halls, a person desiring to receive food or drink must physically go to a different location to order and receive the ordered article thereby missing a part of the performance, or requiring the performance to allocate an intermission period for this purpose. In large sport stadiums or arenas, the attendees are generally serviced by sales persons who travel along different locations within the seat sections of the stadium or arena, shouting their wares and delivering them personally to the occupants of the respective seats. Such arrangements, among other disadvantages, are highly disruptive and require a large number of salespersons.